Johnson Calls for Penalty on Bronx Lawmaker for Homophobic Comments
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen) has demanded that City Council Member Rubén Diaz, Sr. (D-Soundview, Castle Hill) be punished for homophobic remarks he recently made about the Council.
During a television interview, Diaz claimed that the City Council is “controlled by the homosexual community.” After multiple council members called him out for the remark, Diaz insisted that he wasn’t being bigoted.
“It’s not homophobic, it’s the truth,” he told the Daily News.
Johnson, appalled by both Diaz’s initial comment and his refusal to apologize, has called for Diaz to receive some form of punishment – up to and including resignation.
“In the aftermath of Council Member Diaz Sr.’s deeply offensive comments about the LGBTQ community – as well as his indefensible refusal to apologize or even acknowledge the hurt he has caused – many Members have called for disciplinary actions against him and/or his resignation,” said Johnson. “I feel their anger and their pain. We are currently reviewing all potential disciplinary scenarios. Nothing is off the table.”
Krueger Sets the Record Straight on RHA
State Senator Liz Krueger wrote an editorial for Times Union recently clarifying the terms of the newly passed Reproductive Health Act (RHA).
The act, which Krueger herself sponsored, has incited a fair amount of controversy since it was signed on Jan. 22. As such, Krueger decided to write a detailed piece debunking some of the misconceptions surrounding the act.
In particular, she wanted to counter the misconception that the RHA goes beyond the boundaries established by Roe v. Wade. As she explained, the RHA codifies Roe v. Wade into New York law and moves abortion from the penal code to the public health code.
“Claims that the RHA goes beyond Roe v. Wade are simply not accurate,” read the editorial. “Thanks to the RHA, New York law finally conforms to federal law as laid out in Roe and protects access to safe, legal abortion care after 24 weeks in the case of a risk to the life or health of the mother, or a nonviable fetus.”
Rodriguez Honors the Mirabal Sisters
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights, Inwood) was joined by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Assemblywoman Carmen de la Rosa at a street co-naming ceremony yesterday, which re-christened the southeast corner of 168th and Amsterdam Ave. as Mirabal Sisters Way.
The street was renamed in honor of Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, three sisters who spearheaded the resistance movement against the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Together, they helped spread information about Trujillo’s crimes and organized an armed rebellion against him.
“The Mirabal Sisters are honored today for their noble efforts as leaders and advocates for social justice against tyranny and oppressive conditions,” said Rodriguez. “They serve as an inspiration to women, and to us all. They stand as a constant reminder that we must continue to fight against all types of persecution and oppression. This symbol of remembrance by co-naming 168th Street and Amsterdam Avenue as Mirabal Sisters Way seeks to memorialize the countless contributions of the Mirabal Sisters’ fight for justice and equality for all.”
